Heroes of Loot Review

Heroes of Loot’s fast-paced Gauntlet-inspired take on the hack ’n slash and roguelike genre is a game I’ve been curious to see as a final, polished product. There was definite promise in the preview versions of Orangepixel’s take on the roguelike with more arcade influences than most games in the burgeoning genre have. I am excited to say that it turned out quite well: this is a hack ’n slash that’s intense and fun.

Players control one of four heroes, starting from level 1, earning experience as they slay enemies. The goal is ultimately to get high scores, with XP used to fortify the character’s health, and money used to buy temporary upgrades, all in the name of lasting longer.

There’s lots of loot in Heroes of Loot but there’s also lots of enemies, and chaos really rules the day. The secret to success, I’ve found, is to stay out of harm’s way. Stay away from enemies; all the characters use projectile-based attacks and magic items come along often, which can help clear out groups of enemies. Bottleneck enemies in long corridors whenever possible to take them out easily. And stay out of the scrums as much as possible â€“ health drains quickly, especially deeper in the dungeon!

The dungeon crawling gameplay largely stays on its beaten path throughout the length of the game, but the difficulty increase in the dungeon over time adds some variation to the experience. It gives a sense of long-term progression, and something for players to go after, as experts will definitely want to be challenged right away as they get good at the game. These tougher dungeons make high scores quicker to get, too.

The multiple characters have slight differences, really, but I found the wizard to be my heavy hitter thanks to his great stats but slow XP gain, which can be negated with smart play. If the player handles staying alive and doesn’t be Rambo, letting the powerful attacks take care of enemies, success can be obtained. This is a fast and frantic game, but intelligence certianly feels rewarded.

Heroes of Loot of course comes with gamepad support (this is an Orangepixel game), with HID gamepads supported, and even the Green Throttle controllers able to play the game in two-player co-op, because dungeon crawls are just more fun when friends and loved ones are involved. Even though it’s all just controlled by a joystick and a button, the game feels really good with a gamepad. It’s not bad on a touchscreen, but with a gamepad, it just feels great.

Really, Orangepixel has been on a real upswing since Chrono and Cash: games that were once interesting retro curiosities are starting to be formed into some really cool titles. This is a stripped-down hack ’n slash that takes advantage of what it is, and uses the trademark Orangepixel art style and sense of humor to add character to it too. Heroes of Loot is well worth checking out.

Heroes of Loot Review Rundown

8

Graphics & Sound - It's the pixel art style that Orangepixel is known for, and Gavin Harrison's music goes great with the dungeon crawling.

8

Controls - Decent virtual joystick controls, but play this with a gamepad. It's extremely satisfying.

8

Gameplay - Fast-paced dungeon crawling in the vein of Gauntlet! A formula built to work!

8

Replay Value - While I'd like to see more between-game elements for progression, there's still plenty of reason to come back.

Carter Dotson, editor of Android Rundown, has been covering Android since late 2010, and the mobile industry as a whole since 2009. Originally from Texas, he has recently moved to Chicago. He loves both iOS and Android for what they are - we can all get along!